Power supply chassis

ABSTRACT

A welding power supply includes a housing and a one-piece chassis. The one-piece chassis is coupled to the housing and configured to be enclosed within the housing. Moreover, the one-piece chassis is configured to be selectively removable from the housing and the one-piece chassis is configured to have multiple components coupled thereto. The components include one or more transformers, a fan blade, one or more rectifiers, one or more inductors, and control circuitry.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates generally to power supplies and, moreparticularly, to a power supply chassis, such as a power supply chassisfor an inverter welding power supply.

Welding is a process that has increasingly become utilized in variousindustries and applications. Such processes may be automated in certaincontexts, although a large number of applications continue to exist formanual welding operations. In both cases, such welding operations relyon a variety of types of equipment to ensure the supply of weldingconsumables (e.g., wire feed, shielding gas, etc.) is provided to theweld in appropriate amounts at the desired time.

Power supplies typically provide welding power for welding operations.Such power supplies include multiple electrical components forconverting and/or conditioning an input power to a welding power. Forexample, welding power supplies may include one or more transformers,inductors, rectifiers, capacitors, and/or control circuitry forconverting and/or conditioning an input power. Unfortunately, weldingpower supply components may occupy large amounts of space and/or maygenerate a substantial amount of heat. Furthermore, a large number ofbrackets and/or other mounting structures may be used to manufacture awelding power supply. Accordingly, it may be difficult to efficientlymanufacture a compact welding power supply.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment, a welding power supply includes a housing and aone-piece chassis. The one-piece chassis is coupled to the housing andconfigured to be enclosed within the housing. Moreover, the one-piecechassis is configured to be selectively removable from the housing andthe one-piece chassis is configured to have multiple components coupledthereto. The components include one or more transformers, a fan blade,one or more rectifiers, one or more inductors, and control circuitry.

In another embodiment, a welding power supply includes a housing havinga panel and multiple electronic components. The welding power supplyalso includes a fan configured to direct air across the electroniccomponents and toward the panel. The welding power supply includes afirst air flow path across the electronic components and between the fanand the panel, and a second air flow path across the electroniccomponents and between the fan and the panel. The welding power supplyalso includes a third air flow path across the electronic components andbetween the fan and the panel.

In a further embodiment, a welding power supply includes a one-piecechassis configured to be coupled to a housing and to be enclosed withinthe housing. The one-piece chassis includes a fan mount integrallyformed thereon for mounting a fan blade. Moreover, the one-piece chassisincludes mounting structures for mounting one or more transformers, oneor more rectifiers, one or more inductors, and control circuitry.

In another embodiment, a welding power supply includes a one-piecechassis configured to be coupled to a housing and to be enclosed withinthe housing. The one-piece chassis includes a fan shroud integrallyformed thereon and configured to circumscribe a fan blade. Moreover, theone-piece chassis includes mounting structures for mounting one or moretransformers, one or more rectifiers, one or more inductors, and controlcircuitry.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood when the following detaileddescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a welding power supply;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the welding power supply of FIG. 1 withportions of a housing removed;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the welding power supply of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an embodiment of a chassis assembly;

FIG. 5 is a side view of electrical components mounted to a one-piecechassis of the chassis assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of electrical components mounted to aone-piece chassis of the chassis assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a side view of electrical components mounted to a one-piecechassis of the chassis assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an inductor mounted to the one-piecechassis of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a transformer mounted to theone-piece chassis of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a circuit boardassembly;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an embodiment of semiconductors havingheat sinks mounted thereon;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the circuit board assembly of FIG. 10; and

FIG. 13 is a top view of the chassis assembly of FIG. 4, illustratingmultiple air flow paths through the chassis assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of anexemplary welding power supply 10 configured for use in a gas metal arcwelding (GMAW) process or a flux cored arc welding (FCAW) process, forexample. In certain embodiments, the welding power supply 10 may be aninverter welding power supply. The welding power supply 10 includes ahousing 12 including a top panel 14, a side panel 16, a front panel 18,and a rear panel 20. The top panel 14 may include a handle thatfacilitates transport of the welding power supply 10 from one locationto another by an operator if desired. The front panel 18 includes acontrol panel 22 configured to allow an operator to set one or moreparameters of the welding process, for example, via a user interface 24(e.g., knobs, buttons, touchscreens, etc.).

In certain embodiments, the welding power supply 10 includes thefunctionality of a wire feeder (i.e., internal wire feeder). Suchembodiments may include a wire drive configured to receive controlsignals to drive a wire spool. The wire drive feeds wire for the weldingoperation. In another embodiment, a separate wire feeder may attach tothe welding power supply 10 (i.e., external wire feeder). Such aseparate wire feeder may also include a wire drive and a wire spool.

A main electrical connector 26 is coupled to the welding power supply 10via the front panel 18. A cable 28 extends from the main connector 26 toa welding torch 30 configured to be utilized in a welding operation toestablish a welding arc. The welding torch 30 includes a trigger 32 thatinitiates a welding operation and causes welding wire to be supplied tothe welding operation by exposing welding wire when pressed. As may beappreciated, pressing the trigger 32 may cause a switch in the trigger32 to be actuated.

A second cable 34 is attached to the welding power supply 10 through anaperture in the front panel 18 and terminates in a clamp 36 that isconfigured to clamp to the workpiece during a welding operation to closethe circuit between the welding power supply 10, the welding torch 30,and the workpiece. During such an operation, the welding power supply 10is configured to receive primary power from a primary power supply, suchas a power source (e.g., the power grid, engine-generator, etc.), tocondition such incoming power, and to output a weld power outputappropriate for use in the welding operation. The welding power supply10 may be manufactured to house electrical components in a compact, costefficient manner.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the welding power supply 10 of FIG. 1with portions of the housing 12 removed. The welding power supply 10includes a chassis assembly 38 having multiple electrical components.The electrical components are mounted to a one-piece chassis 40 tofacilitate efficient assembly with a reduced number of mountingstructures. In certain embodiments, the one-piece chassis 40 is a singlemolded part (e.g., formed by injection molding) on which the electricalcomponents (or any components) for the welding power supply 10 aremounted. The one-piece chassis 40 may be formed from any suitablematerial, such as a polymeric material (e.g., plastic), a metal, and soforth. Moreover, the one-piece chassis 40 may include mountingstructures (e.g., bosses) and/or embedded components to facilitatemounting components thereon. The chassis assembly 38 is secured to abase 42 of the housing 12, such as by using fasteners. In certainembodiments, the welding power supply 10 also includes a drive motor 44for driving a wire spool used to feed welding wire during a weldingoperation. Moreover, the welding power supply 10 includes a centerbaffle 46 extending between the front panel 18 and the rear panel 20.The center baffle 46 may provide structural support to the welding powersupply 10.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the welding power supply 10 of FIG. 2. Asillustrated, the entire chassis assembly 38 may be removed from thehousing 12 of the welding power supply 10. Accordingly, components maybe installed and/or removed from the one-piece chassis 40 while theone-piece chassis 40 is removed from the housing 12 of the welding powersupply 10, thereby facilitating manufacturing. Furthermore, the entirechassis assembly 38 may be assembled and/or tested before beinginstalled into the housing 12 of the welding power supply 10.

The chassis assembly 38 is attached to the base 42 using fasteners 48.In the illustrated embodiment, four fasteners 48 are used to attach thechassis assembly 38 to the base 42. However, in other embodiments, feweror more fasteners may be used to attach the chassis assembly 38 to thebase 42. By securing the chassis assembly 38 to the base 42 using thefasteners 48 instead of using more complicated mounting arrangements,cost and time associated with manufacturing the welding power supply 10may be reduced.

The rear panel 20 includes vents 50 and the front panel 18 includesvents 52. The vents 50 and 52 facilitate air flow through the weldingpower supply 10 for removing heat produced during operation of thewelding power supply 10. The vents 50 and 52 are positioned so that theair flow passes between components of the chassis assembly 38 tofacilitate removing heat from the components, thereby improvingoperation of the components.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the chassis assembly 38.As illustrated, the one-piece chassis 40 includes a fan mount 54 towhich a fan motor assembly 56 is secured. The fan mount 54 supports thefan motor assembly 56 and positions the fan motor assembly 56 tofacilitate proper alignment of a fan blade. During assembly, a shaft 58of the fan motor assembly 56 is inserted into an opening 60 of theone-piece chassis 40. Furthermore, fasteners 62 are inserted throughopenings 64 and secured in bosses 66 of the fan motor assembly 56.Moreover, a fan blade 68 (e.g., fan) is attached to the shaft 58, suchas by applying force to the fan blade 68 to direct the fan blade 68along the shaft 58 toward the fan motor assembly 56. When mounted to theshaft 58, the fan blade 68 will be disposed in an interior portion ofthe one-piece chassis 40, whereas the fan motor assembly 56 is disposedexterior to the one-piece chassis 40.

The one-piece chassis 40 includes a fan shroud 70 integrally formedthereon. The fan shroud 70 circumscribes the fan blade 68 and mayinclude a duct, may direct air towards the fan blade 68, and/or mayfacilitate improved air flow produced by the fan blade 68 as the fanblade 68 is rotated by the fan motor assembly 56. During operation ofthe fan motor assembly 56, the fan blade 68 rotates and directs air fromthe vents 50 in the rear panel 20 toward the vents 52 in the front panel18. As may be appreciated, in certain embodiments, the fan blade 68 maydirect air from the vents 52 in the front panel 18 toward the vents 50in the rear panel 20. Moreover, cool air (e.g., air that has not beenheated by components of the chassis assembly 38) may be drawn by the fanblade 68 across the fan motor assembly 56 to facilitate more efficientoperation of the fan motor assembly 56.

By the one-piece chassis 40 including the fan mount 54 and the fanshroud 70, the fan motor assembly 56 and the fan blade 68 may be coupledto the chassis assembly 38 before the chassis assembly 38 is installedinto the housing 12 of the welding power supply 10. Accordingly,operation of the fan motor assembly 56 and the fan blade 68 may betested with other components of the chassis assembly 38, without beinginstalled into the housing 12 of the welding power supply 10.

As may be appreciated, by mounting the fan motor assembly 56 to the fanmount 54 using the bosses 66 on the shaft side of the fan motor assembly56, movement of the fan motor assembly 56 is reduced as compared toembodiments in which an opposite side of the fan motor assembly 56 ismounted. Accordingly, the effect of movement of the fan motor assembly56 on the fan blade 68 is reduced when the fan motor assembly 56 ismounted on the shaft side of the fan motor assembly 56. Furthermore, adistance (e.g., clearance) between the fan blade 68 and the shroud 70may be reduced when the fan blade 68 movement is reduced. Moreover,having the fan mount 54 as part of the one-piece chassis 40 may reducevariations in placement of the fan motor assembly 56, thereby furtherenabling a reduced distance between the fan blade 68 and the shroud 70.By reducing the distance between the fan blade 68 and the shroud 70, airflow produced by the fan blade 68 may be increased.

As illustrated, the chassis assembly 38 includes a circuit boardassembly 72. An upper portion 73 of the circuit board assembly 72 issecured to the one-piece chassis 40 using fasteners 74 inserted throughopenings 75, and secured in bosses 76. As may be appreciated, the bosses76 may be formed as part of the one-piece chassis 40. Furthermore, theone-piece chassis 40 includes ribs 78 to secure a lower portion 77 ofthe circuit board assembly 72. The ribs 78 extend upward from the baseof the one-piece chassis 40 forming a lip that blocks lateral movementof the circuit board assembly 72. In certain embodiments, the ribs 78may apply a force to an end of the lower portion 77 of the circuit boardassembly 72 to secure the lower portion 77 to the one-piece chassis 40.By using the ribs 78, only two fasteners 74 are used to secure thecircuit board assembly 72 to the one-piece chassis 40, therebyfacilitating installation and/or removal of the circuit board assembly72 with a reduced amount of manufacturing time and/or cost.

Transformers 80 (e.g., high frequency transformers) may be attached tothe one-piece chassis 40 (e.g., between the one-piece chassis 40 and thecircuit board assembly 72) using fasteners secured into bosses, asillustrated in FIG. 9. Again, the bosses may be formed as part of theone-piece chassis 40. A rib 81 (e.g., stiffening rib) is formed in theone-piece chassis 40 to provide structural support to counteract a forceapplied to the one-piece chassis 40 by the transformer 80. In certainembodiments, the rib 81 is formed on the one-piece chassis 40 while theone-piece chassis 40 is molded. Moreover, in some embodiments, more thanone rib 81 may be formed as part of the one-piece chassis 40.Furthermore, an input inductor 82 and an output inductor 84 are securedto the one-piece chassis 40 (e.g., on an opposite side of the one-piecechassis 40 from the transformers 80) using fasteners 86, as illustratedin FIGS. 5 and 8. FIG. 5 is a side view of electrical components mountedto the one-piece chassis 40 of the chassis assembly 38 of FIG. 4. In theembodiments illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the input and output inductors82 and 84 are manufactured using a lamination set having an E portion 88and an I portion 90. Because the input and output inductors 82 and 84use the same lamination stack, the same winding and/or welding toolingmay be used for both the input and output inductors 82 and 84, therebyreducing manufacturing costs.

Moreover, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, a bobbin 92 is disposed onthe E portion 88. In certain embodiments, the input and output inductors82 and 84 may use the same type of bobbin 92 (e.g., bobbins 92 formedfrom the same type of material). Moreover, the bobbin 92 may include anextended piece having a sufficient length to provide insulation to afloating core for the beginning and/or ending lead of each winding,thereby reducing the use of additional insulation. In certainembodiments, a weld bead may be used in a gap 94 between the E portion88 and the I portion 90 to secure the E portion 88 to the I portion 90without using a bracket, thereby reducing the number of components inthe chassis assembly 38.

An output rectifier heat sink 96 is attached to the one-piece chassis 40(e.g., on the same side of the one-piece chassis 40 as the inductors 82and 84) using fasteners 98, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. Returningto FIG. 4, diodes 100 are attached to the output rectifier heat sink 96using additional fasteners. By using the one-piece chassis 40, the fanmotor assembly 56, the fan blade 68, the circuit board assembly 72, thetransformers 80, the input inductor 82, the output inductor 84, and theoutput rectifier heat sink 96 may all be mounted directly to theone-piece chassis 40 without additional brackets and/or mountingstructures. Accordingly, manufacturing complexity, time, and/or cost maybe reduced. As may be appreciated, in other embodiments, fewer or morecomponents may be mounted to the one-piece chassis 40.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of electrical components mounted to theone-piece chassis 40 of the chassis assembly 38 of FIG. 4. Asillustrated, the one-piece chassis 40 includes bosses 102 for mountingthe one-piece chassis 40 to the base 42 of the housing 12. Moreover,fasteners 104 are used to attach the transformers 80 to the one-piecechassis 40. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the one-piecechassis 40 includes bosses 106 for mounting the input and outputinductors 82 and 84. The one-piece chassis 40 also includes metallicinserts 108 (e.g., brass inserts) that are integrally formed into theone-piece chassis 40. The metallic inserts 108 facilitate mounting ofthe diodes 100 to the one-piece chassis 40. In certain embodiments, themetallic inserts 108 may include a threaded opening to facilitatefasteners being secured therein.

The one-piece chassis 40 includes a pocket 110 formed therein tofacilitate directing a lead of the output inductor 84 from one side ofthe one-piece chassis 40 to the opposite side of the one-piece chassis40. As illustrated, fasteners 112 are used to secure the diodes 100 tothe output rectifier heat sink 96. Moreover, the one-piece chassis 40includes bosses 114 for mounting the output rectifier heat sink 96 tothe one-piece chassis 40. As may be appreciated, the fasteners describedherein may be any suitable fasteners, such as screws, bolts, pins, etc.Moreover, the fasteners may include additional mounting hardware, suchas washers, seals, spacers, etc. Furthermore, to facilitate simplifiedmanufacturing, certain fasteners of the chassis assembly 38 may be thesame type, size, and/or shape. By integrally forming mounting structuresinto the one-piece chassis 40, the one-piece chassis 40 facilitatesmanufacturing the chassis assembly 38 in a reduced time and/or withreduced cost.

FIG. 7 is a side view of electrical components mounted to the one-piecechassis 40 of the chassis assembly 38 of FIG. 4. The chassis assembly 38includes a rectifier formed using the four diodes 100. The diodes 100may be any suitable diode. For example, the diodes 100 may be TO-218diodes, such as a PowerTab™ diodes manufactured by VishayIntertechnology, Inc. of Shelton, Conn. As illustrated, the diodes 100are secured to the output rectifier heat sink 96 using the fasteners112. Moreover, secondary leads 116 of the transformers 80 extend fromthe transformers 80 at positions to align with the diodes 100.Accordingly, diode leads 118 may be electrically coupled to thesecondary leads 116 without bending of the secondary leads 116.Specifically, the secondary leads 116 are substantially flat (e.g.,rectangular) to facilitate each of the fasteners 112 being insertedthrough one of the secondary leads 116, through one of the diode leads118, and into one of the metallic inserts 108. The fasteners 112 enableconductivity between the secondary leads 116 and the diode leads 118.Thus, the secondary leads 116 may be electrically coupled to the diodeleads 118.

Moreover, in certain embodiments, at least a portion of the secondaryleads 116 may include an insulative coat 119 configured to provide areinforced insulation. For example, in certain embodiments, thesecondary leads 116 may be formed from aluminum or copper and theinsulative coat 119 may be an insulative tape, such as Nomex® paper type410 manufactured by DuPont™ of Houston, Tex. As may be appreciated,openings in the secondary leads 116 for inserting the fasteners 112 maybe formed before insertion of the fasteners 112. For example, holes maybe punched in a flat portion of the secondary leads 116. Therefore, byforming openings in the secondary leads 116 to electrically couple thesecondary leads 116 to the diode leads 118, no additional leads arecrimped onto the ends of the secondary leads 116, thereby reducingmanufacturing time and/or cost. Furthermore, the diode leads 118 are notbent and/or trimmed during assembly, further reducing manufacturingtime.

An output inductor lead 120 extends from the output inductor 84 andthrough the pocket 110 to facilitate coupling the output inductor lead120 to the output rectifier heat sink 96. The output inductor lead 120includes a flat portion 122 that may also include a stepped portion, asillustrated. Moreover, the flat portion 122 includes an opening 124 toenable a fastener 126 to electrically couple the output inductor lead120 to the rectifier heat sink 96. As may be appreciated, the flatportion 122 may be formed using any suitable technique, such as bycompressing an end of the output inductor lead 120. Furthermore, theopening 124 may be formed before insertion of the fastener 126. Incertain embodiments, the fastener 126 may be a self-tapping screw.Accordingly, by forming the flat portion 122 with the opening 124 toelectrically couple the output inductor lead 120 to the rectifier heatsink 96, no additional lead is crimped onto the end of the outputinductor lead 120, thereby reducing manufacturing time and/or cost.

The chassis assembly 38 includes output leads 128 for providing outputcurrent. The output leads 128 may be formed from any suitable wiresizes, such as 6, 8, 10, or 12 gauge wire. For example, in certainembodiments, the output leads 128 may be 10 gauge wires. Guides 130 maybe formed as part of the one-piece chassis 40 to facilitate routingand/or securing the output leads 128. Accordingly, the guides 130 maydirect the output leads 128 such that the output leads 128 do notinterfere with other components. As illustrated, the output leads 128may be electrically coupled to two of the diodes 100.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an inductor (e.g., one of theinductors 82 and 84) mounted to the one-piece chassis 40 of FIG. 7. Asillustrated, the fasteners 86 are inserted through openings 132 in the Eportion 88 and the I portion 90. The fasteners 86 secure the E portion88 and the I portion 90 to the bosses 106 in the one-piece chassis 40.Moreover, a weld bead 134 couples the E portion 88 to the I portion 90,thereby eliminating the use of a bracket for mounting the E portion 88and the I portion 90 to the one-piece chassis 40. FIG. 9 is across-sectional view of the transformer 80 mounted to the one-piecechassis 40 of FIG. 7. As illustrated, the fasteners 104 are insertedinto openings 136 in the one-piece chassis 40. The fasteners 104 aresecured to bosses 138 of the transformer 80, such as by screwing thefasteners 104 into threads of the bosses 138.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the circuit boardassembly 72. The circuit board assembly 72 includes multiple electricalcomponents (e.g., control circuitry) mounted on a circuit board 141. Incertain embodiments, the circuit board 141 may be a printed circuitboard (PCB). As illustrated, capacitors 142 are coupled to the circuitboard 141. Moreover, two of each of semiconductors 144 and 146 arecoupled to the circuit board 141. The semiconductors 144 and 146 aredifferent sizes. Accordingly, the semiconductors 144 and 146 haverespective sized heat sinks 148 and 150. As may be appreciated, thesemiconductors 144 and 146 are cooled by transferring heat to the heatsinks 148 and 150. In certain embodiments, the heat sinks 148 and 150may be positioned adjacent to a fan to facilitate cooling of the heatsinks 148 and 150 (e.g., transferring heat from the heat sinks 148 and150 to cool air).

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the semiconductors 144and 146 having the heat sinks 148 and 150 mounted thereon. Asillustrated, the semiconductors 144 and 146 include pins 152 extendingtherefrom. The pins 152 extend adjacent (e.g., substantially parallel)to the heat sinks 148 and 150. A clip 154 couples the heat sink 148 tothe semiconductor device 144, while a clip 156 couples the heat sink 150to the semiconductor device 146. Specifically, the clip 154 is securedin slots 158 that may be extruded into the heat sink 148, and the clip156 is secured in slots 160 that may be extruded into the heat sink 150.In the illustrated embodiment, the heat sinks 148 and 150 include pins162 for positioning the heat sinks 148 and 150 on the circuit board 141.In certain embodiments, the pins 162 may be inserted into extrudedportions of the heat sinks 148 and 150. As may be appreciated, incertain embodiments, the size of the heat sinks 148 and 150 may bedetermined by the size of the respective semiconductors 144 and 146.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the circuit board assembly 72 of FIG. 10. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the heat sinks 148 and 150 are approximatelythe same height as the capacitors 142. In addition, the heat sinks 148and 150 have a substantially rectangular shape. Moreover, the pins 152of the semiconductors 144 and 146 extend from a body 164 of thesemiconductors 144 and 146 to the circuit board 141 a distance 166.Furthermore, the heat sinks 148 and 150 extend parallel to thesemiconductors 144 and 146 for approximately the same distance 166. Forexample, in certain embodiments, the heat sinks 148 and 150 may extendparallel to the semiconductors 144 and 146 for approximately 85 percentto 95 percent, 90 percent to 100 percent, or 95 to 100 percent of thedistance 166. The heat sinks 148 and 150 are mounted to the body 164 ofthe semiconductors 144 and 146 so that the pins 152 of thesemiconductors 144 and 146 are not trimmed during manufacturing, therebyreducing manufacturing cost and time. As illustrated, the pins 162 ofthe heat sinks 148 and 150 extend into the circuit board 141.Accordingly, the circuit board 141 provides support to the heat sinks148 and 150. In the illustrated embodiment, the heat sinks 148 and 150are attached to the semiconductors 144 and 146 near a central portion ofthe heat sinks 148 and 150. Therefore, heat produced by thesemiconductors 144 and 146 may quickly dissipate into the heat sinks 148and 150.

The heat sinks 148 and 150 each include a first portion 168 extendingdirectly over the circuit board 141 in a direction orthogonal to thecircuit board 141 and a second portion 169 that is not aligned directlyover the circuit board 141 in the direction orthogonal to the circuitboard 141. In other words, the second portion 169 of the heat sinks 148and 150 overhang an edge of the circuit board 141. As illustrated, thesecond portion 169 is larger than the first portion 168 such that alarger portion of the heat sinks 148 and 150 is not disposed directlyover the circuit board 141 (e.g., a larger portion of each of the heatsinks 148 and 150 hangs over an edge of the circuit board 141).Moreover, a width 170 of the heat sinks 148 and 150 that is disposeddirectly over the circuit board 141 is smaller than a width 171 of theheat sinks 148 and 150 that is not disposed directly over the circuitboard 141. By positioning the second portion 169 so that it is notdisposed directly over the circuit board 141, space on the circuit board141 may be conserved for other electronic components. Moreover, the heatsinks 148 and 150 may be positioned adjacent to the fan blade 68 so thatair is blown directly onto the heat sinks 148 and 150. Accordingly, afront (fan) side 172 of the heat sinks 148 and 150 may have air blowndirectly thereon (e.g., via impingement air flow).

In the illustrated embodiment, the air blown by the fan blade 68 mayalso travel across sides 174, 176, 178, and 179 of the heat sinks 148and 150. Therefore, the heat sinks 148 and 150 may be formed to besmaller than heat sinks that are not positioned to receive air directedtoward one or more sides of the heat sinks. For example, a baffle sizeof the heat sinks 148 and 150 may be reduced and/or fin sizes of theheat sinks 148 and 150 may be reduced. As may be appreciated, a smallerbaffle size and/or smaller fin sizes facilitates manufacturing the heatsinks 148 and 150 with reduced cost and/or facilitates easier extrudingof the heat sinks 148 and 150. Furthermore, the circuit board 141 mayalso be smaller than in other embodiments because less space of thecircuit board 141 is occupied by the heat sinks 148 and 150.

FIG. 13 is a top view of the chassis assembly 38 of FIG. 4, illustratingmultiple air flow paths through the chassis assembly 38 that direct airfrom the fan blade 68 toward the front panel 18 of the housing 12 of thewelding power supply 10. In the illustrated embodiment, various portionsof the chassis assembly 38 may form layers that separate the airdirected from the fan blade 68 into three distinct air flow paths sothat air from a substantial amount of the fan blade 68 may be used. Forexample, certain components and/or portions of the one-piece chassis 40may form a first layer 180 (e.g., first baffle), and other componentsand/or portions of the one-piece chassis 40 may form a second layer 182(e.g., second baffle).

A first air flow path 184 flows over a top side 186 of the first layer180, and between the fan blade 68 and the front panel 18. In certainembodiments, the top side 186 includes the heat sinks 148 and 150, thecapacitors 142, and other components mounted to the circuit board 72.Moreover, a second air flow path 188 flows between a bottom side 190 ofthe first layer 180 and a top side 192 of the second layer 182, andbetween the fan blade 68 and the front panel 18. For example, the secondair flow path 188 may include the transformers 80 and the diodes 100.Furthermore, a third air flow path 194 flows over a bottom side 196 ofthe second layer 182, and between the fan blade 68 and the front panel18. In certain embodiments, the bottom side 196 includes the outputrectifier heat sink 96, the input inductor 82, and the output inductor84. As illustrated, in certain embodiments, the first air flow path 184,the second air flow path 188, and the third air flow path 194 may all besubstantially parallel to one another. For example, the first air flowpath 184, the second air flow path 188, and the third air flow path 194may be within approximately 0 to 10 degrees of being parallel to oneanother. By using the three distinct air flow paths, the componentsalong each air flow path may receive separate cooling air streams,thereby enabling a compact arrangement of the components.

As described herein, the one-piece chassis 40 may be used in the weldingpower supply 10 to reduce manufacturing time and/or cost. The one-piecechassis 40 may be formed by injection molding and may include bossesand/or mounting structures that facilitate quickly installing and/orremoving components of the chassis assembly 38. The one-piece chassis 40may include the fan mount 54 for mounting the fan motor assembly 56 andthe fan blade 68. Moreover, the one-piece chassis 40 may include the fanshroud 70 to improve air stream output from the fan blade 68.Furthermore, the chassis assembly 38 may have components arrangedthereon to form three separate air flow paths through the chassisassembly 38, thereby improving cooling efficiency of the chassisassembly 38. Accordingly, the chassis assembly 38 may be compact toenable a size of the welding power supply 10 to be reduced.

While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed herein, many modifications and changes will occur to thoseskilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appendedclaims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fallwithin the true spirit of the invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A welding power supply comprising: ahousing; and a one-piece chassis coupled to the housing and configuredto be enclosed within the housing, wherein the one-piece chassis isconfigured to be selectively removable from the housing, wherein theone-piece chassis is configured to have a plurality of componentscoupled thereto, and the plurality of components comprise one or moretransformers, a fan blade, one or more rectifiers, one or moreinductors, and control circuitry, and wherein the one-piece chassiscomprises a fan shroud configured to direct air toward the fan blade. 2.The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the fan shroud isconfigured to circumscribe the fan blade, and the welding power supplycomprise a fan mount configured to facilitate mounting of the fan bladedirectly to the one-piece chassis.
 3. The welding power supply of claim1, wherein the one-piece chassis is coupled to the housing using aplurality of fasteners.
 4. The welding power supply of claim 3, whereinthe plurality of fasteners comprises four fasteners.
 5. The weldingpower supply of claim 1, wherein the one-piece chassis comprisesplastic.
 6. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the one-piecechassis comprises a plurality of mounting bosses for coupling theone-piece chassis to the housing.
 7. A welding power supply comprising:a one-piece chassis configured to be coupled to a housing and to beenclosed within the housing, wherein the one-piece chassis comprises afan mount integrally formed thereon for mounting a fan blade, whereinthe one-piece chassis comprises mounting structures for mounting one ormore transformers, one or more rectifiers, one or more inductors, andcontrol circuitry, and wherein the one-piece chassis comprises a fanshroud configured to direct air toward the fan blade.
 8. The weldingpower supply of claim 7, wherein the one-piece chassis comprisesplastic.
 9. The welding power supply of claim 7, wherein the one-piecechassis is manufactured via injection molding.
 10. The welding powersupply of claim 7, comprising the fan blade and fan motor coupled to thefan mount.
 11. A welding power supply comprising: a one-piece chassisconfigured to be coupled to a housing and to be enclosed within thehousing, wherein the one-piece chassis comprises a fan shroud integrallyformed thereon and configured to circumscribe a fan blade, and whereinthe one-piece chassis comprises mounting structures for mounting one ormore transformers, one or more rectifiers, one or more inductors, andcontrol circuitry.
 12. The welding power supply of claim 11, wherein theone-piece chassis comprises a polymeric material.
 13. The welding powersupply of claim 11, wherein the one-piece chassis comprises a fan mountto enable mounting of a fan directly to the one-piece chassis.
 14. Thewelding power supply of claim 11, comprising the fan blade, the one ormore transformers, the one or more rectifiers, the one or moreinductors, and the control circuitry mounted to the one-piece chassis.15. A welding power supply comprising: a housing; and a one-piecechassis coupled to the housing and configured to be enclosed within thehousing, wherein the one-piece chassis is configured to be selectivelyremovable from the housing, wherein the one-piece chassis is configuredto have a plurality of components coupled thereto, and the plurality ofcomponents comprise one or more transformers, a fan blade, one or morerectifiers, one or more inductors, and control circuitry, and whereinthe one-piece chassis comprises a fan shroud configured to circumscribethe fan blade, and a fan mount configured to facilitate mounting of thefan blade directly to the one-piece chassis.
 16. The welding powersupply of claim 1, wherein the one-piece chassis is coupled to thehousing using a plurality of fasteners.
 17. The welding power supply ofclaim 16, wherein the plurality of fasteners comprises four fasteners.18. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein the one-piece chassiscomprises plastic.
 19. The welding power supply of claim 1, wherein theone-piece chassis comprises a plurality of mounting bosses for couplingthe one-piece chassis to the housing.
 20. The welding power supply ofclaim 15, wherein the fan shroud is configured to direct air toward thefan blade.